How important is that last 1.5 pounds?

Lisa met her goal of losing 100 pounds by her 40th birthday, but the struggle continues. Click through to read about losing the first 100 pounds or click on the links below to read about the new challenges.More >>

Lisa met her goal of losing 100 pounds by her 40th birthday, but the struggle continues. Click through to read about losing the first 100 pounds or click on the links below to read about the new challenges.More >>

I tried writing in this space about a month ago and got three paragraphs into it before I gave up. I just feel like I'm saying the same things over and over and not making any real changes that stick. But all I can do is try again and keep trying until I get out of this rut.More >>

10/20/10

I've reset my "Get Back on Track!" month to start today. In wanting to synch up with a calendar month, I probably didn't think things through as well as I should have in planning to be very strict with my diet when I had a bunch of special occasions coming up.More >>

These days, you probably want to file your taxes as early as possible to prevent identity thieves from filing a false return in your name — but that requires you to have the necessary forms in hand, including W-2 forms.

These days, you probably want to file your taxes as early as possible to prevent identity thieves from filing a false return in your name — but that requires you to have the necessary forms in hand, including W-2 forms.

I had a great week! After a rough 6 or 8 weeks of not being able to control my late-night eating, and gaining and losing the same pound or so, I finally had a significant loss. And my 100-pound goal is SO CLOSE now...

I've already admitted a few times here that I'm sort of a compulsive weigher. On a typical day, I can weigh myself up to 5 or 6 times (I know it's not a great habit, but it helps keep me on track). So I can also admit that I actually hit my 100-pound goal yesterday morning. But since Wednesday is my official weigh-in day, I didn't really count it. And when I weighed in a pound and a half heavier today, I had to count that as my official weight.

The funny thing is that I know I could have made my goal today. I'd been having a really good week and I know that if I'd put my mind to it and eaten really lightly yesterday, I could have weighed in with a 100-pound milestone today.

But I didn't want to do anything drastic. And I even let myself have a particularly late dinner, which always affects my weight the next day. But I was out late and I was hungry and I made good choices (5 raw oysters, Manhattan clam chowder and broccoli sautéed with olive oil and garlic) for a "normal" meal. And that's what it's all about.

Because I've never wanted to get so caught up in the numbers and trying to reach certain goals that I sacrifice to the point that I'm resentful. I've tried to focus on making lifestyle changes and accepting that progress will be slow. And there was no good reason to change my good behavior drastically just to make a goal. (Plus, I do have 3 weeks until my birthday!)

I'm not sure exactly what my problem has been for the past couple of months. And I'm not sure exactly what caused my breakthrough this week. Though I think part of it may have been a conversation with my mom last week. She said, "No matter what, you've already hit your goal. You've made it."

And she's right. And I think really feeling that eased my stress a little. At this point, 1.5 pounds isn't so important. What's important is that I've stuck to my plan for 18 months. That I'm making good choices most of the time. That I'm exercising 5-6 times a week. That I've lost a whopping 98.5 pounds!

Don't get me wrong. I definitely want to lose that 1.5 pounds... and another 40-50 after that. But that doesn't diminish what I've done so far and it doesn't mean I haven't already succeeded.

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